Kotani leads Wahine past Grambling

Led by senior guard Amy Kotani's 14 second-half points, the Hawaii women's basketball team defeated Grambling 71-53 in the consolation game of the Women of Troy Classic last night in Los Angeles.

Tied 34-34 at halftime, the Rainbow Wahine (5-6) went on an 18-0 run in the second half to pull away from the Tigers (1-10) at the Galen Center.

The 14 points was a career high for Kotani, who also had five steals, four rebounds and three assists. In her first career start, junior forward Ebony Jones responded with a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds).

"Amy really gave us a spark to start the second half," Wahine coach Jim Bolla said. "I thought we did a much better job in the second half with the turnovers and that helped us pull away."

Hawaii returns home to host the Bank of Hawaii Invitational next Friday and Saturday. William & Mary takes on Iona in the 5 p.m. opener followed by the Wahine against UC Irvine at 7 p.m.

Beckham, Ching in tournament

Tickets are on sale for the Pan-Pacific Championship, an international soccer tournament that is scheduled to feature stars David Beckham of England, Hawaii's Brian Ching and Satoshi Yamaguchi from Japan.

The four-team event is scheduled for Feb. 20 and 23 at Aloha Stadium. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster locations (877-750-4400) or the Aloha Stadium box office (486-9300).